Like fellow countrymen
the Go-Betweens,
Summer Cats offer up a delightfully infectious string of tunes on this EP. There are plenty of tight harmonies and summery melodies judging by the opening "Wild Rice," which brings to mind the bubbly, punchy sound of
Peter Bjorn and John and Caesars among others. The same can be said for the solid "Hush Puppy" which contains a bit more bite and guitar work. Fans of
Sloan circa "Underwhelmed" would also lap up the gorgeous, lo-fi but guitar-fueled "Super Computer" that also touches on some electronic influences. Rounding off the EP, another gem here is "Crocodile," a song that would have the likes of
Teenage Fanclub green with envy. The only problem here is that the quantity is just five songs. But if it's quality that's the yardstick, this group does the trick. ~ Jason MacNeil